seriously romantic: maid of ice by shona husk

the blood and silver series continues with maid of ice. finley ryder knows that the accident that nearly kills him is no accident. but he can’t prove it. he can’t explain to others how he survived. how his magic kept him safe.

when he meets alina nyx in the hospital, he senses she might be like him. even though she appears to be human. but he’s uncertain and the albah live in secrecy.   alina is drawn to finley too. there’s something between them that sparks and sizzles. she doesn’t want anything serious, and yet from the get-go there is clearly something more happening between them. 

when finley confronts alina about her water magic she is stunned to realize that’s what it is. her whole life her mother had hidden this from her. she went out of her way to avid teaching alina about her magic, about their people. 

with finley she learns that things for the albah are changing. but when finley’s life is threatened, the choices that must be made are going to have far-reaching consequences. including whether or not to commit to a lifetime of magic. 

what i loved about the relationship between finley and alina is that being together allows both of them to grow. finley has spent his whole life avoiding his heritage and hiding it. but never to the extent that alina’s family is willing to go. being with alina makes him realize that he does care about being albah and that as a people they need to learn more about each other and their past. with finley, alina finds her true self. she knows who and what she is, and that knowledge sets her free. and even as she loses the only family she’s ever known, she gain a community of people that she wants to be involved with. people who will help her harness all the potential she never knew she had locked up in her. 

**maid of ice will publish on november 21, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/kensington books (lyrical press) in exchange for my honest review.